The 2021 Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association, were presented tonight. The 78th American Golden Globe Film and Television Awards took place mostly virtually, from New York and Hollywood. For the fourth time so far, it was hosted by comedians Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Who are the winners?
Golden Globes 2021 - who are the winners? Check out how the virtual "opening" of the film awards season went and who won prestigious award!
The report, yes Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association (HFPA) — whose event kicks off Hollywood's awards season and wields enormous influence in the industry — has not a single black member, was met with broad criticism, especially in light of ignoring certain TV series (I May Destroy You) and movies (Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and One Night in Miami). Several industry stars, including Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Amy Schumer, Sterling K Brown and Judd Apatow, have posted their condemnations under the tag #TimesUpGlobes with graphics from Time's Up, a Hollywood organization founded in the wake of #MeToo calling for reform of the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association.
Of course, the host of the evening, a comedian, also mentioned the tensions Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The duo stood side by side on a split screen (Fey in New York, Poehler in Los Angeles) and addressed health care workers instead of, as is customary, celebrities.
The two made their usual light-hearted jokes about the Golden Globes and the false hierarchy of film vs. TV before moving on to the HFPA controversy. "Everyone is understandably upset about the HFPA and their decisions," Poehler said. “Look, a lot of garbage was nominated, but it happens, okay? This is what they are known for. But many black actors and black-led projects have been overlooked.”
"We all know award shows are stupid," said Fey, "but even with nonsense, variety is important". Regarding the lack of black members, Fey addressed the HFPA directly: "Maybe you didn't get the notification because your workplace is a French McDonald's booth, but you need to change that."
Golden Globes 2021: who are the winners?
Movie category
Golden Globes night kicked off with two black British stars winning Best Supporting Actor in Film and TV - Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah and John Boyega Steve McQueen's Small Ax - two wins that highlighted the technical difficulties of the night and the fight for diversity. Kaluuya's speech was almost abandoned due to microphone problems ("You're doing me dirty!” he said before the globes cut him off) as Boyeg's excitement filtered through the eerie sound.
For the first time in the history of the Golden Globes, most of the nominations for directing were female - Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman, Regina King for One Night in Miami and the winner Chloé Zhao for Nomadland.
Nomadland, an observational film about elderly Americans displaced by the recession into mobile homes on the road, won a Golden Globe for best drama film, a significant win for a director whose first two films were independent, fervently non-commercial projects.
"Nomadland is, at its core, a pilgrimage through grief and healing," Zhao said as she accepted the Golden Globes, like all the other stars, from the living room on Zoom. "So, for anyone who has been through this difficult journey at some point in their life, this is for you."
The best actor in the drama category has passed away Chadwick Boseman for his latest role in Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. His wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, said in an emotional speech that the Black Panther star would "said something beautiful, inspiring, something that would strengthen that little voice in all of us that tells us that we can keep going".
Sacha Baron Cohen took home the Globe for Best Comedy for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, his follow-up to the 2006 hit about a quirky Kazakh journalist who travels to the US. Borat also won him a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy.
They also celebrated that night Rosamund Pike as Best Actress in a Comedy for I Care A Lot and Andre Day as best actress in a drama for The United States vs. Billie Holliday.
Television category
A year after Fleabag and 1917 kicked off the British invasion of the Golden Globes, Netflix's high-profile royal drama The Crown won the Golden Globe for Best TV Drama Series, along with Golden Globes for Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor), Princess Diana (Emma Corrin) and Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson).
"You taught me compassion and empathy," Corrin said in her speech, thanking Princess Diana. O'Connor, meanwhile, urged the audience to "let's all put mental health first".
The evening was marked by another Netflix victory - Queen's Gambit, the streaming giant's most-watched miniseries of all time, took home the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries, its star Anya Taylor-Joy and she received her first Golden Globe.
The last season was celebrated in the comedy series category of Schitt's Creek, which won the Golden Globe for Best Actress Catherine O'Hara.
It is also worth noting that two special awards were also presented that night: Actress Jane Fonda recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of motion picture art, screenwriter and producer Norman Lear and the Carol Burnett Lifetime Achievement Award in Television.
